Give your 3 year old a head start on Montessori learning by engaging them in wonderful educational activities at home. The quintessential soon to be preschooler wants to do everything by himself, mimics the adults in his life, and loves hands-on, concrete learning activities. All of these exercises will hone your child's independence, focus, and coordination.

10 Brilliant Montessori Activities for Your 3 Year Old

#1 – Walk and Name – Take daily walks with your preschooler. Along the way, point out and identify various objects. Name the objects within context and cultivate new vocabulary for your child. Use the 3-period lesson.

#2 – Gardening – You know I am a huge fan of gardening with kids. Let your child plant a small herb garden. Have them tend to their garden every day. When the herbs are ready, use them to season dishes your child helps to prepare.

#3 – Environmental Awareness – Teach your child respect for the environment by having them place compost in the bin or by having them place recyclable materials in appropriate containers.

#4 – Chalkboard – Set up a chalkboard, chalk, and erasers, for your three-year-old to work those early writing skills. You will waste a lot less paper, and your child will work fine motor skills required for later schooling.

#5 – Cubbies, Lockers, or Baskets – Let your child play a part in being organized and neat by having them create cubbies out of old cardboard boxes. Allow your child to decide what they will keep in each cubby. Show them how much neater their play area is as a result.

#6 – Set the Table – Give your child toddler-safe place settings, and teach them how to set the table. This is a great way to reinforce matching skills. Simply provide a clear image of how the items should be arranged, and let them practice.

#7 – Match Socks – When laundry day rolls around, enlist the help of your toddler. Have them find and pair up matching socks.

#8 – Mystery Bag – Place a variety of objects with different textural feels into a medium sized bag. Let your child feel around in the bag to identify the objects and name the textures.

#9 – Color Exploration – Teach your child about primary colors, secondary colors and the like by letting them experiment with finger paints. Let them discover what happens when certain primary colors are mixed together. They will make many connections themselves and will gain a better understanding of how colors work.

#10 – Bread Baking – Make a batch of bread dough. Let your toddler help roll it out flat. Next, arm them with a variety of plastic cookie cutters, and let them choose which ones to use. When the bread is baked and ready to eat, your child will enjoy reflecting on how they helped make them.

These examples should give you the inspiration that you need to start introducing a wide array of Montessori activities to your three-year-old in your home and your classroom.